Pompeii
Pompeii: A Roman Girl's Diary is a historical fiction book written by Sue Reid. It is the twentieth book in the My Story series by Scholastic UK. The book was published in May 2008 and reissued in February 2015. It was followed by Valerie Wilding's Road to War. Claudia, a young Roman girl, lives in Pompeii during AD 79, the year of the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Dedication :"For my father and mother, who first took me to Pompeii" Book description :"It's August AD 78 and Claudia is at the Forum in Pompeii. It's a day of strange encounters and even odder portents. When the ground shakes Claudia is convinced it is a bad omen. What does it all mean? And why is she so disturbed by Vesuvius, the great volcano that looms over the city..." Plot In August AD 78, Claudia visits the Forum in Pompeii with her father. They watch a slave auction between a friend of Claudia's father, Vastus, and a lanista, who buys slaves to be trained as gladiators. Vastus wins the red-haired Briton, before the ground beneath Pompeii begins to rumble. Claudia and her father safely return home to the family bakery. Her father dismisses the event, but Claudia continues to worry about the earthquake. Claudia's mother buys her a new tunic, which she wears to dinner at Vastus' house. There she sees the Briton again, while Vastus' son, Quintus, stares at her all night. Just two weeks later, the Briton boy helps Claudia home, after she injures her ankle. Claudia sees him again some weeks later at the market. They have a small tiff, but she informs him about the possible location of his sister anyway. After he returns Claudia's dog Pollux, they make amends and he reveals his name, Aengus. Aemilia, Vastus' daughter, and her cousin, Calpurnia accidentally witness Claudia and Aengus speaking in January. Neither Aemilia or Calpurnia question her about it, though Claudia later befriends Calpurnia. After a week of not seeing Aengus, Claudia learns that he has been sold to the lanista. In May, Claudia attends a gladiator fight with Calpurnia. She briefly sees Aengus, who saves a fellow charioteer. Several days after the fight, Claudia confesses her friendship with Aengus to Calpurnia. Calpurnia moves to Rome with her family in September. The following month, Aengus escapes from the gladiators barracks and says goodbye to Claudia, before departing. Pompeii's water supply fails a few days later, leading Claudia's father to make the decision to leave. After packing a wagon, Mount Vesuvius erupts and the citizens of Pompeii begin to panic in their haste to leave. Claudia's family find a safe shelter, after a long and arduous journey. Characters *'Claudia', a freeborn Roman living in Pompeii with her parents and brothers. She worries often about the meaning of Pompeii's earthquakes, though everyone else seems to merely ignore them. *'Aengus' is a British slave owned by the rich baker, Vastus. He befriends Claudia, after a series of chance encounters. Aengus hopes to find his sister and run away from Pompeii. Author Sue Reid is an English children's and young adult author. She works primarily in the historical fiction genre, such as By My Side and Langdown Manor. Reid is also the author of several books in the My Story series, including Mill Girl, War Nurse, The Fall of the Blade, Give Us the Vote!, and Lady Jane Grey. Editions Pompeii2.jpg|''Pompeii'' My Story reprint (February 5, 2015)https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/products/95106 Acknowledgements :"I would like to thank Paul Roberts, of the British Museum's department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, for his help with my research for this book." References See also External links *[http://www.suereidauthor.com/pompeii.html Pompeii on Sue Reid's website] Category:A to Z Category:Books Category:My Story Category:My Story books Category:Books by Sue Reid Category:Pompeii